# Does rubbing alcohol work as a good disinfectant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 22, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400 "2004-09-22T00:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bummerboy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@bummerboy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bummerboy2)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/1 "2004-09-22T00:47:42Z")
I’ve always used hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant, but now my friend has brought up that alcohol doesn’t work very good and kills only a few germs. Is this true? ---
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/2 "2004-09-22T03:40:44Z")
I don’t know the death rate amongst the germs, but if you pour it in a wound, the death rate amongst your own cells is too high, setting back any healing. Use alcohol on objects, if anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/3 "2004-09-22T04:44:23Z")
> [@bummerboy2](#): > > I’ve always used hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant, but now my friend has brought up that alcohol doesn’t work very good and kills only a few germs. Is this true? And,of course,hydrogen peroxide doesn’t kill bacteria,and should only be used for cleansing wounds. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/4 "2004-09-22T06:03:26Z")
> [@MaryEFoo](#): > > I don’t know the death rate amongst the germs, but if you pour it in a wound, the death rate amongst your own cells is too high, setting back any healing. > > Use alcohol on objects, if anywhere. We’re talking about disinfectants here, not antiseptics. Alcohol is perfectly safe to use as a disinfectant on unbroken skin. It works quite well. Exactly how well I couldn’t tell you, but it’s comparable to most over the counter stuff available. 70% alcohol actually works better than more ocnecentrated forms, so some rubbing alcohols aren’t as good as others. ---
**Author:** ![Sharky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Sharky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sharky)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/5 "2004-09-22T07:19:10Z")
I have found that pouring 91% rubbing alcohol on cuts results in dramatically reduced healing time. The sting is a delightful lagniappe. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/6 "2004-09-22T08:01:40Z")
Alcohol is great for killing bacteria - just about any lab dealing with bacteria will use alcohol to clean their counters and equipment. It does take a couple of minutes to work, so you need to use enough to make sure it doesn’t evaporate too quickly ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/7 "2004-09-22T08:25:58Z")
I use 95% ethanol here and it seems to work well. I’ve used it to sterilize objects and also to disinfect minor wounds. Regards Testy ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-rubbing-alcohol-work-as-a-good-disinfectant/265400/8 "2004-09-22T13:21:37Z")
Bleach is great – Not directly on the skin, of course. For food prep areas, diluted bleach is the way to go. In the bathroom too.